Page 127 of Indigo Ridge (The Edens 1)

“That’s a yes,” I muttered. “Let me guess. You wrote a note—you said that’s how Frank contacted them.” Which was why I hadn’t found anything in Lily’s text and call history. “Lily came out to the country expecting Frank. Maybe you promised a little late-night stargazing. A romantic picnic and—”

“Shut up!” The knife’s blade glinted silver as it whipped out and slashed through my bicep.

My cry was swallowed up in the night. There was no one but her to see the tears, so I let them fall. Angry, desperate tears. But I would not be silenced. Not tonight.

“You hit them, like you hit me. That was why there weren’t any traces of drugs in their system.” Any injuries caused by her knife or a wound to the head like mine had been covered up by the sheer brutality of their deaths. When all that remained of a person’s skull were fragments, piecing them together to see a prior injury was nearly impossible. “Did you make her walk up the trail too? When did she take off her boots?”

“Why do you care?”

“Tell me. Before we end this, the least you can do is give me the truth.”

Her lip curled. “She kept slipping in those boots.”

“You should have left them on her feet.”

She nudged my tennis shoe. “I’ll fix that mistake with you.”

“Good luck,” I deadpanned. “No one will believe I committed suicide.”

“You’ve had such a hard time, though, haven’t you? Struggling to fit in. That awful breakup with your fiancé. The folks at the station have been unwelcome at best. You’re alone and rumor is that Griffin Eden is about to dump you too. He’s been in love with Emily Nelsen for years.”

I scoffed. “I hadn’t heard that one yet.” But I had no doubt that rumor had been started by Emily herself.

“Oh, I’ll concede that Emily is a fool, but she’s been after Griffin for a long, long time. There will be some people in town who’ll believe she’s finally caught his eye for good. Combine that with the tragic death of your parents, and it’s no wonder you’ve been so depressed.”

“It’s a stretch. Too big of a stretch.”

“I’ve been stretching for years.”

I looked up and met her cunning gaze. “It didn’t work with me.”

“Almost. It would have worked on Tom Smith.”

“But Tom Smith isn’t the chief.” I jutted out my chin. “I am. And I will see you rot in a prison cell for this. For those girls.”

However many she’d killed.

The knife shook in Rain’s hand. “I will kill you here. I will drag you if I must.”

“Fine.”

Her hand came to my hair, bunching it in her fist. True to her word, she began to drag. The pain was excruciating and I screamed again, the sound so raw and brutal it ripped through my throat just as a clump of hair tore loose.

“Stop.” Tears clouded my vision as my limbs shook. “I’ll walk.”

That only made her pull harder.

“I’ll walk!”

It took Rain a moment to let go, and when her fingers peeled free from my hair, the relief drew another flood of tears.

I staggered to my feet, my head spinning worse than it had before. The trail was wider here than it was in most places but it was still narrow. Maybe she wouldn’t have to push me over the edge. Maybe the gash in my scalp and these unsteady feet would kill me for her.

God, if I did fall, I hoped Griffin wouldn’t find me. I didn’t want my broken body, my death, to haunt his nightmares.

“Move,” Rain commanded, the knife by her side. Its blade dripped with my blood.

I started the climb, glancing over my shoulder once. I could run. It wouldn’t be easy with my hands tied, but I could race her down this ridge. Maybe if I bought myself enough time, someone would come searching.